Overnight Adventure at Caracol: Wining, Dining and History at Belize’s Largest Maya Site

by Lebawit Lily Girma

I’m sitting at a dinner table for two, a glass of Lagarde 1897 from Mendoza in my hand.

There’s one torch near the table for two, lighting our dinner and our faces, but not completely. There’s no moon.

I hear a cat’s meow except it’s not a cat, am told, it’s an owl. Fallon is sitting across from me, resting from our walk up the Mayan temple’s steps.

I can’t concentrate on my plate of fresh made tamales just yet; Ofelia had made them for us earlier on an open hearth fire while we watched, the flames our only light.

I keep looking around instead. I can see the edges of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve and the rainforest in the background; I can hear it, too.

Just steps from me are Mayan structures, in each direction. My feet are resting on the ground of a Maya temple, too.

Am I really here, wining and dining under the stars at Caracol?

Located in the southern part of the Cayo District, Caracol is Belize’s largest Maya site and it’s most important historically. Discovered only in 1938 by loggers, it once had 100,000 Mayans living here . Caracol is a two-hour road trip from San Ignacio and bumpy one but worth every minute.

Passing across Maya villages, then bridges, views of waterfalls, river pools, the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest, and the Chiquibul Forest Reserve all along the way. The entire ride I felt as if I were in a different country. Iíd never seen this side of Belize. It was as if Iíd been missing a big part of it all this time. Waterfalls, river bathing and mountains? Hello! I was too excited to care about my sore behind.

When we reached Caracol, at sunset, Wilburt my guide from Ka’ana Resort – the brilliant minds behind this adventure – told me to climb up the tallest structure at Caracol so I could see where I was going to have dinner in a couple of hours.

As I understand they have armed guards there. Every day tour groups have the option to ride with a BDF and/or Tourist Police convoy to Caracol. You can go on your own and some do. They also have had these guys stay overnight at Xunantunich and other Mayan sites in Cayo. At least they were about a year ago.